ELLISVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River came up short in the 90th edition of the "Cat Fight" on Thursday, falling to Jones College 37-13 at Bobcat Stadium at Sim Cooley Field.
Jones College (3-1 overall) took an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter. In between the Bobcats' two scoring drives Pearl River (1-3) looked like it was going to capitalize on some defensive momentum after Tank Robinson (Biloxi) broke through the JC protection to block a PAT. The Wildcats drove 59 yards down the field in eight plays. Aided by a 35-yard run from Will young (Hurley; East Central), PRCC looked at a first-and-goal situation. Unfortunately, the Wildcats fumbled two plays later and JC was able to drive down the field for its second score.
JC tacked on a third score before the end of the quarter to take a 20-0 lead.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 30-0 midway through the second via another touchdown and field goal after the Wildcat defense held strong in the red zone.
The Wildcats looked to break the shutout just before halftime. Following the field goal, PRCC drove down the field but came up just short on fourth-and-goal.
TOUCHDOWN WILDCATS
The Wildcats showed a lot of guts on their first scoring drive of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Austin Davidson (Meridian; West Lauderdale) completed two fourth downs to Latreal Jones (Taylorsville) at midfield and just barely into Bobcat territory to keep the drive alive. Again, PRCC had to convert a fourth down in the red zone as Davidson dashed through the left side for the tough yards to pick up a crucial conversion. Two plays, later Dymarcus Griffin (Richton) cut through the defense for a 4-yard touchdown.
The Wildcats kept the momentum on their side as the defense forced its first turnover on the next series. The Bobcats completed a play to the left side, but Noah Mitchell (Leakesville; Greene County) caught the play from behind to punch the ball out and Ben Johnson (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) pounced on the loose ball.
Later in the quarter PRCC found paydirt for the second time on a 34-yard scamper from Chris Holifield Jr. (Mobile, Ala.; Leflore). The freshman speedster took the handoff, ran around the left side of the line, picked up a couple blocks and dashed virtually untouched down the sideline.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The Wildcat defense played inspired in the second half, limiting the Bobcats to just seven points. Of JC's eight possessions, the Wildcats forced six punts, including four three-and-outs on the Bobcats' first four possessions of the half.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Davidson led PRCC's passers, throwing for 72 yards. He also rushed for 66. Holifield Jr. had a season-high on the ground, rushing seven times for 88 yards. Tavion Smith (Oak Grove) led PRCC's receivers with four receptions for 58 yards.
Defensively, Mitchell was credited with 10 tackles. Damien Lynch (Pearl) finished with nine.
NEXT UP
Pearl River will wrap up the home portion of its schedule next Thursday with a 7 p.m. clash against Southwest at Dobie Holden Stadium. The game will also serve as Sophomore Day and Homecoming. PRCC concludes its regular season Nov. 12 at Hinds.
TICKETS
Due to the ongoing pandemic, capacity at Dobie Holden Stadium is extremely limited.
Tickets will be available in the business office in the Ted J. Alexander Administration Building on Monday. General admission tickets are $10. Faculty, staff and students can pickup their free tickets on Tuesday by stopping by the athletics table in the Great Hall, located in Crosby Hall between 8 a.m. and noon.
Tickets are not available for purchase online or over the phone.
Fans are encouraged to check PRCCAthletics.com for more policy changes.
STREAMING + RADIO
PRCCMedia.com is the digital home for Pearl River Wildcat Athletics in 2020-21. In addition to PRCCMedia.com, fans with a Roku or Amazon Fire device can also stream PRCC's games by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from the app store.
All football games will also be carried on WRJW 1320 AM and WRJWRadio.com.
WJDR 98.3 FM in Columbia is a new addition to the Wildcat Radio Network in 2020.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
By: Patrick Ochs
Pearl River Community College
Director of Marketing & Communications